STOCKTON – Neighbors were startled by the sound of gunshots and the terrified cry of a frightened little boy late Friday night when gunfire erupted inside a southeast Stockton home where three people died and two others were wounded, witnesses said.

The triple homicide occurred about 11:45 p.m. in the 3100 block of South Laurel Street, just east of South B Street and south of Michael Avenue, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. A 6-year-old boy escaped the home during the shooting and fled to a nearby house, according to two neighbors who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety.

“He ran out of the house and started knocking on everybody’s doors, screaming and asking for help,” one neighbor said while dabbing tears from her eyes. “He was in shock. He just said they were shooting and everybody in the house was dead.”

According to authorities, three people were pronounced dead on the scene and two others were taken to hospitals. The names of the dead were not released pending identification and notification of kin, authorities said.

Neighbors who spoke to the victims’ relatives said those killed were a married couple believed to be in their 50s and their son, who was believed to be in his 30s. The couple’s daughter, believed to be in her 20s, was shot in her arm and back, and her boyfriend was shot in the jaw, but both survived, neighbors said. The 6-year-old boy was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services about 5 a.m. Saturday, neighbors said.

Read Sunday's Record for more on this story by staff writer Jason Anderson.